Folding box



H. A. TOMARIN FOLDING Box 2 Shegts-Sheet 1 Filed April 15, 1947 3 w w ww sm/ m. o 6 LL 6 6 4 GE/ 3 v 6 a 3 3 I X nu w w m Q a A v u m w v3 M Mm m m m m L m M m w m m n 2 u 2 a L\ W Y J m e w w Q s s 3 m w m T wIll/VENTOR HARRY A TOMAREN 11 22, 1949. H. A. TOMARIN FOLDING BOX 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed-April 15. 1947 IIVVENTOi.

HARRY A. TOMARIN locked relative to the body portion.

' Patented Mar. 22,

UNITED S ATes PATENT OFF-ICE 2,404,904 Harry A. :fn z'i zziz iinati,Ohio Application April ld, 1947, Serial No. 741,573

This invention relates to folding boxes, and more particularly to aone-piece folding box having a cover member formed integrally therewith.

An object of the invention is to provide a folding box, such as by wayof example, of the type in which clothing, such as suits, shirts andthe'like, may be packaged for transportation. from a store to the homeof'the ultimate consumer, and which box includes an integrally. formedcover member which is provided with means for releasably engagin thebodyportion of the box for precluding accidental or uninten tionalopening of the cover member.

' A further object of the invention is to provide a folding box havingthe hereinabove described characteristics wherein the cover member mainbe unlocked from a lowered closed position rela': tive to the bodyportion of the box in response, to pressure applied at--certain portionscover member.

Still a further object provide a one-piece folding box, the body andcover member of which may be completely sembled or set up without theuse of adhesives, staples, stitches, or other such attaching means.

of the -20 'of the invention is to.

Claims. (Cl. 229-36) 2 Fig. 3 is a sectional view lined by lines 3-3 ofFig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the front panel shiftedinwardly from its fully extended position into a plane at substantialright taken on a plane deangles relative to the bottom panel, and withthe lid in a lowered locked position;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the relationship of thevarious elements when shifted to a lid releasing relationship.

With reference now to Fig. 1, it will be noted that a sheet of material,such as by way of example, cardboard, may be suitably cut and scoredwhereby to provide a front panel iii, a bottom panel I2, a rear panel Itand side panels it wherein said front and rear panels are formedintegrally with the front and rear edges l8 and 29 respectively of thebottom panel and wherein each of side panels it are formed integrallywith side edges 22 of the bottom panel.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, side panels I6 comprise anouter wall 25 and an inner wall 26 set apart by means of a score 0!Still a further object of the invention is to;

provide a one-piece box which includes a rivesided open topped bodyportion and a cover member, wherein the front and rear walls of the bodyportion are shiftable from a plane disposed at, substantial right anglesrelative to the bottom member outwardly to a fully extended inclined.position to facilitate the insertion of articles into the body portionof the box, without musslng, after which said front and rear walls maybe returned to their initial upstandingpositions for enabling the covermember to be closed and Still a further object of the invention is toprovide a. one-piece blank which may be easily produced, by modern massproduction technique, and which blanks may be shipped, in knocked downform, to the ultimate users of the blanks who may quickly and easily setthem up as needed. V

These and other objects are attained by the means described herein andasdisclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank comprising a detail of the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a box fabricated from the blank of Fig.l in a fully set up condition with the front and rear walls in a fullyextended condition.

fold line 28, and an attachment flap 30 set apart from inner wall 26. byscore or fold line 32.

The side edges of the front and rear panels are provided with flapportions 34 formed integrally therewith and extending outwardlytherefrom, as illustrated. Each of said side flaps are provided with andterminate in wings 36, wherein the width dimension Xof each of saidwings is of a. dimension less than the overall wldthZ of its respectiveside flap, for a purpose hereinafter more fully explained.

Wings 38 are provided integrally with and extend outwardly from thefront and rear edges of inner walls 26, said wings being defined byscore or fold lines 80.

A cover member comprises top panel 59 which is integrally interconnectedto the upper edge 52 of rear panel it. The forward edge 54% of the toppanel is provided with a front section 56, the side edges of which areprovided with side flaps 58 which are set apart by score or fold lines60 from front section 56, and the outer ends of which flaps terminate inwings 62 set apart by score or fold lines 66.

Preferably, though not necessarily, top panel 5b is provided with sidesections 66 which are defined and set apart from the top panel by meansof fold or score lines 68.

The blank of Fig. 1 may be folded to provide the box disclosed in Fig. 2as follows:

Wings 38 of inner walls 26 may be folded inwardly about fold lines 40for disposing said Attachment fiap 30 may be folded outwardly from itsinner wall into the plane of bottom panel l2 thereby enabling side edgesor corners 80 to be inserted into slits 82 provided adjacent the cornersof bottom panel if.

In this manner the double walled side panels disclosed in Fig. 2 will beformed wherein the free or outer edges 84 of wings 38 will be locatedadjacent the inner face of outer wall 24, see Fig. 3.

Wings 36 of flap portions 34 of front and rear panels l and 14 may ,thenbe folded inwardly over their respective flap portions after which saidflaps may be folded about fold line 22 upwardly into a plane atsubstantial right angles relative to their respective panels.

The front and rear panels may then be folded upwardly about theirrespective fold lines l8 and as flap portions 34 and their associatedwings 38 are inserted between the inner and outer walls of side panelsl6 disposing inturned wings 36 in interlocking relationship withcorresponding wings 38 of the side panels, see Figs. 4 and 3. In thismanner, a five sided body portion comprising bottom, front, rear andside panels will be provided, wherein the front and rear panels areshiftable from the fully extended positions disclosed in Fig. 2 whereinsaid panels are inclined outwardly from and relative to bottom panel l2,to a closed position wherein said panels are disposed at substantialright angles relative to bottom l2.

With reference now to Figs. 3 and 4, it will be noted that theextendedposition of the front and rear panels is determined by the interlockingrelationship between wings 36 and 38, thereby establishing positivestops for these panels. It will be observed that corresponding wings 36and 38 will not be in physical engagement during those periods of timewhen the front and rear panels have been moved inwardly from their fullyextended positions, however, by reason of the interlocking relationship,of the wings 36 and 38, it will be noted that these Wings willpositively engage, whenever their respective panels are swung forwardlyrelative to bottom panel l2.

At this point, it will be noted that the degree or amount by which thefront and rear panels may be extended is determined by and is a functionof the differential between dimension X and Z (see Fig. 1) of the flapsand wings 34 and 36.

After the body portion has thus been set up, the cover member may bemade ready for use by folding wings 62 about fold lines 64 upwardly andover their side flaps 58, and of then folding side flaps upwardly into aplane at substantial right angles relative to the front section afterwhich the front section 56 may be folded upwardly about fold line 54into a plane at substantial right angles relative to the plane of toppanel 50. Side sections 66 may then be folded about fold lines 68 intoplanes at substantial right angles relative to the top panel, afterwhich the cover member may be folded about fold line 52, downwardly andover the open top portion of the body member.

After the front and rear panels have been moved to a closed position,front section 58 of 4 the top panel may be disposed in overlappingrelationship relative to front panel l0 during which its side flaps 58and associated wings 82 are inserted between the adjacent faces of theouter walls of side panels 16 and the side flaps 34 of front panel |0,for disposing wings 62 in overlapping relationship with wings 36 of thefront panel, thereby effectively securing the cover member in a closedor locked relationship relative to the body portion.

When it is desired to open the box, a downward pressure applied to thefront side edges of the top panel will distort or buckle the inner andouter walls of the side panels as disclosed in -Fig. 5 whereby side flap58 and its associated wing 62 will be free to move outwardly foreffecting a disengagement of wing 52 from wing 36, thereby enabling flap58 to be withdrawn for enabling the cover member to be opened.

However, it should be noted that the interlocking relationship betwenwings 36 and 38 is not nullified or rendered ineffective during thoseperiods of time when the inner and outer walls have been bowed to thelid releasing position disclosed in Fig. 5.

The cover member may be locked and unlocked innumerable times, whereforethe resultant box may be used many times thereby greatly enhancing itsutility as a storage container,

The instant device is particularly well adapted as a container forclothing, such as suits, dresses. skirts, and the like, by reason of thefact that the outwardly extending front and rear panels greatlyfacilitate insertion of the garments into the body portion withoutmussing. After the garments have been thus housed within the bodyportion, the front and rear walls may be quickly and easily moved fromtheir fully extended positions to closed positions after which the covermember may be closed and secured in place.

It should be noted that when desired, a five sided container having anopen top may be provided by omitting the cover panel 50 from the blankof Fig. 1. The resultant container would include front and rear panelseach shiftable to extended position illustrated in Fig. 2.

What is claimed is.

1. A container comprising a body portion including front, rear, bottomand side panels wherein said front and rear panels are formed with andintegrally connected to the front and rear edges of said bottom paneland wherein said side panels are formed with and integrally connected tothe side edges of said bottom panel,

each of said side panels including an outer and.

inner wall and an attachment flap set apart by fold lines about whichsaid inner wall may be folded downwardly into a plane in parallelismwith its respective outer wall for providing double walled side panels,and inturned wings provided along and integrally with the forward andrear ends of each of said inner walls, side flap-s integrally formedwith the side edges of said front and rear panels and terminating ininturned wings, said side flaps dimensioned for insertion between theinner and outer walls of said side panels for disposing their respectivewings in interlocking relationship with the wings of said inner wallsfor providing a five sided open topped body portion, and a cover memberincluding a top panel integrally connected to the upper edge of the rearpanel of said body portion, a front section integrally connected to thefront edge, said front section including side flaps the ends of whichterminate in inturned wings dimensioned for insertion between theadjacent faces of the outer walls of said side panels and the side flapsof the front panels for disposing said intumed wings in overlappingrelationship with corresponding wings of the side flaps of the frontpanel for securing said cover member in closed relationship relative tosaid body portion,

2. A container comprising a body portion including front, rear, bottomand side panels wherein said front and rear panels are formed integrallywith the front and rear edges of said bottom panel and wherein said sidepanels are formed integrally with the side edges of the bottom panel,each of said side panels comprising an outer and inner wall and anattachment flap extending outwardly from the bottom panel in that order,each of said inner walls foldable about and in parallelism with theircorresponding outer walls for providing a pair of double walled sidepanels, means for securing said attachment flaps relative to said bottompanel, wing portions provided along the forward and rear ends of saidinner walls, said wings foldable inwardly between said inner and outerwalls with their free edges adjacent the inner face'of the outer wall ofits respective side panel, side flaps formed integrally with andextending from the side edges of said front and rear panels, wing-portions provided in the ends of each of said flapswherein the widthdimension of said'wings is less than the overall width of theirrespective flaps by an amount suflicierit to space the free edge of aninturned wing in spaced relationship with the inner face of itscorresponding panel, said flaps and wings dimensioned for insertionbetween the inner and outer walls of said side vided along the forwardand rearends of said' inner walls, said wings foldable inwardly betweensaid inner and outer walls with their free edges adjacent the inner faceof the outer wall of its respective side panel, side flaps formedintegrally with and extending from the side edges ofsaid front and rearpanels, wing portions provided in the ends of each of said flapswherein-the width dimension of said wings is less than the overall widthof their respective flaps by an amount sufficient to space the freeedgeof an intumed wing in spaced relationship with the inner face of itscorresponding panel, said flaps and wings dimensioned for insertionbetween the inner and outer walls of said side panels for disposingtheir respective wings in interlocking relationship with correspondingwings of said side panels for providing a five sided open topped bodyportion the front and rear panels of which are swingable about theirlower edge from a position at substantial right angles with said bottompanel to fully extended outwardly inclined positions determined by theinterfering relationship between the wings of said side panels and thewings of said front and rear panels.

4. A- container comprising a body portion including front, rear, bottomand side panels wherein said front and rear panels are formed with andintegrally connected to the front and rear edges of said bottom paneland wherein said grally formed with the side edges of said front andrear ,panels and terminating in intumed with said bottom panel to fullyextended outwardly inclined positions determined by the in- -terferingrelationship between the wings of said side panels and the wings of saidfront and rear panels, and a cover member comprising a top panelintegrally connected to the upper edge of said rear panel, a dependingfront section integrally connected to the front edge of said top panel,side flaps formed in the ends of .said front section, wings provided inthe ends of said last mentioned flaps foldable inwardly toward saidfront section, said side flaps and wings dimensioned for insertionbetween the adjacent faces of the outer walls of said side panelsv andthe side flaps of the front panel for disposing said wings inoverlapping relationship with the respective wings of the side flaps ofsaid front panel for securing said cover member in closed relationshiprelative to said body portion.

3. A container comprising a body portion including front, rear, bottomand side panels wherein said front and rear panels are formed integrallywith the front and rear edges of said bottom panel and wherein said sidepanels are formed integrally with the side edges of the bot tom panel,each of said side panels comprising an outer and inner wall and anattachment flap extending outwardly from the bottom panel in that order,each of said inner walls foldable about and in parallelism'with theircorresponding outer walls for providing a pair of double walled sidepanels, means for securing said attachment flaps relative to said bottompanel, wing portions prowings, said side flaps dimensioned for insertionbetween the inner and outer walls of said side panels for disposingtheir respective wings in interlocking relationship with the wings ofsaid the forward portion of the inner and outer walls of said sidepanels are bowable apart incident toinner walls for providing a fivesided open topped body portion, and a cover member including a top panelintegrally connected to the upper edge of the rear panel of' said bodyportion, afronta downward pressure applied to the front side corners ofsaid cover member for effecting disengagement of the overlappingrelationship between the wings of the side flaps of the front sectionwith the wings of said front panel for releasing said cover member fromits closed position relative to said body portion.

5. A container comprising a body portion including front, rear, bottomand side panels wherein said front and rear panels are formed integrallywith the front and rear edges of said bottom panel and wherein said sidepanels are formed integrally with the side edges of the 7 bottom panel,each of said side panels comprising an outer and inner wall and anattachment flap extending outwardly from the bottom panel in that order,each of said inner walls foldable about and in parallelism with theircorresponding outer walls for providing a pair of double walled sidepanels, means for securing said attachment flaps relative to said bottompanel, wing portions provided along the forward and rear ends of saidinner walls, said wings foldable inwardly between said inner 'and outerwalls with their free edges adjacent the inner face of the outer wall ofits respective side panel, side flaps formed integrally with andextending from the side edges of said front and rear panels, wingportions provided in the ends of each of said flaps wherein the widthdimension of said wings is less than the overall width of theirrespective flaps by an amount sufiicient to space the free edge of aninturned win in spaced relationship with the inner face of itscorresponding panel, said flaps and wings dimensioned for insertionbetween the inner and outer walls of said side panels for disposingtheir respective wings in interlocking relationship with correspondingwings of said side panels for providing a flve'sided open topped bodyportion the front and rear panels of which are swingable about theirlower edge from a position at substantial right angles with said bottompanel to fully extended outwardly inclined positions determined by theinterfering relationship between the wings of said side panels and thewings of said front and rear panels, and a cover member comprising a toppanel integrally connected to the upper edge of said rear panel, 2.depending front section integrally connected to the front edge of saidtop panel, side flaps formed in the ends of said front section, wingsprovided in the ends of said last mentioned flaps foldable inwardlytoward said front section, said side flaps and wings dimensioned forinsertion between the adjacent faces of the outer walls of said sidepanels and the side flaps of the front panel for disposing said wings inoverlapping relationship with the respective wings of the side flaps ofsaid front panel for securing said cover member in closed relationshiprelative to said body portion, and wherein the forward portion of theinner and outer walls of said side panels are bowable apart incident toa downward pressure applied to the front side corners of said covermember for effecting disengagement of the overlapping relationshipbetween the wings of the side flaps of the front section with the wingsof said front panel for releasing said cover member from its closedposition relative to said body portion.

HARRY A. TOMARIN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Date Great Britain Nov. 16, 1895

